What are the best Super Bowl games ever? With the Kansas City Chiefs set to take on the San Francisco 49ers in what oddsmakers believe will be a close game, it got us thinking.
The Tennessee Titans finding themselves one yard short in Super Bowl XXXIV against the then-St. Louis Rams comes to mind. Joe Montana’s “John Candy” game does, too. What about the New England Patriots’ epic comeback against the Atlanta Falcons?
Here, we look at the 10 best Super Bowl games ever played.
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Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Two 13-win teams taking on one another. The “Greatest Show on Turf” taking to Atlanta. This Super Bowl had everything we wanted heading in. The game itself played out that way, too. Down 23-16 late in the fourth quarter, Tennessee had a chance to tie this up from the Rams’ 10-yard line. Steve McNair hit Kevin Dyson just in front of the end zone. The receiver stretched for the end zone, only to come up a yard short as time ran out. This is considered one of the most-exciting ends to a Super Bowl in the history of the game.
9. Super Bowl XLVII: Ravens 34, 49ers 31
Billed as the Harbaugh Bowl, this matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens did not disappoint. It included a black out during the game due to a partial power outage in New Orleans. With San Francisco down 34-29 late in the fourth quarter, the team failed on four opportunities from inside the Ravens’ 10-yard line. The game ended in controversial fashion as Ravens defensive back Jimmy Smith seemed to make contact with Michael Crabtree in the end zone on fourth down. In the end, Baltimore came away with the 34-31 win.
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8. Super Bowl XLIX: Patriots 28, Seahawks 24
Down 28-24 late in the fourth quarter, Seattle had a prime opportunity to win the game. With the ball at New England’s one yard line, the Seahawks opted to call a pass. Russell Wilson’s pass to Ricardo Lockette was intercepted by then-Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler to end this with just 20 seconds remaining. It is a play call that will go down in Super Bowl infamy.
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7. Super Bowl LII: Eagles 41, Patriots 33
Nick Foles replacing an injured Carson Wentz under center for the Eagles. Tom Brady and his Patriots looking to win yet another Super Bowl. That was the backdrop with New England as 4.5-point favorites. The two sides exchanged score after score before Foles hit tight end Zach Ertz to give the Eagles a 38-33 lead with just over two minutes left. Philadelphia then took a 41-33 lead with 1:05 remaining in the fourth. That was all she wrote with Foles winning MVP (373 passing yards, 3 TD). Meanwhile, Brady broke the single-game Super Bowl record with a whopping 505 yards in defeat.
6. Super Bowl XXIII: 49ers 20, Bengals 16
Down 16-13 with 3:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Joe Montana led the 49ers down the field in what might still be the greatest drive in Super Bowl history. It consisted of 92 yards on 11 plays and included Montana calmly pointing out legendary late-great actor John Candy in the stands. The drive culminated in a 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass to John Taylor, sending San Francisco to what would be the first of back-to-back Lombardi’s.
5. Super Bowl XLII: Giants 17, Patriots 14
Taking on the undefeated New England Patriots to conclude the 2007 NFL season, no one really gave the Giants much of a chance in this one. It did not play out in the lopsided manner most had envisioned. Down 14-10 with 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Giants took over from their own 17-yard line. That’s when David Tyree pulled off the memorable helmet catch from Eli Manning for 32 yards on third down. After another conversion from Steve Smith on third-and-11, Plaxico Burress put up the game-winning 13-yard touchdown catch with 35 seconds remaining to pull off one of the greatest upsets in the history of the big game.
4. Super Bowl XXV: Giants 20, Bills 19
This Super Bowl will always be known for Scott Norwood missing the potential game winner wide right. He hooked a 47-yard field goal after Jim Kelly had led the Bills down the field in position for the win. Unfortunately, this would represent the first of four consecutive Super Bowl losses for the Bills.
3. Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs 38, Eagles 35
Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts doing their thing. The game going back-and-forth. Philadelphia found itself up 24-14 at the half before Mahomes led Kansas City down the field for three touchdowns in the final two quarters. Down 35-27 in the fourth quarter, Hurts scored on two-yard touchdown and added a two-point conversion to nod it up. That’s when Mahomes worked his magic in leading Kansas CIty down the field for an eventual chip-shot 27-yard game-winning field goal. The two quarterbacks combined for 670 total yards and seven touchdowns in a titanic bout.
2. Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers 27, Cardinals 23
Down 20-7 at the start of the fourth quarter, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals scored 16 unanswered points to take the lead. That’s when the Steelers marched 78 yards down the field, culminating in a game-winning six-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining. This game was also known for a 100-yard interception return from Steelers linebacker James Harrison, which is considered one of the greatest defensive plays in Super Bowl history.
1. Super Bowl LI: Patriots 34, Falcons 28
Let’s lay it out to you. The favored Patriots found themselves down 28-3 with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter against Atlanta. Reporters everywhere were already writing game recaps. That’s when Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Pats pulled off their magic. Brady led New England to 31 points in the final 17:06 of regulation and overtime. That included touchdown-scoring drives of 75, 91 and 75 yards, respectively. The game culminated via a two-yard touchdown run by James White to give New England a shocking win in the best Super Bowl game of all-time.